Family Drama
by Mr.Sulu
Summary: Ryan learns he has asthma again during the worst possible moment.
1. Chapter 1

Family Drama

Author's Note: As you can tell, I am a big lover of Ryan Angst. This is my newest addition to fanfiction, hope you enjoy. Thanks for all of the future reviews that I hope will fill my review box. This follows the pretense that Ryan had joined the soccer team during the second season.

I have no idea of the points system for soccer, so please bare with me. Also, I have no idea what an asthma attack is like since I don't have the condition, just to warn you.

For those of you who are waiting for my other story Chances, I am not sure where I am going with it, so it may be a while before I update, but I will update!

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with the OC.

Chapter One

"What time is your game tonight, Ryan?" asked Sandy while standing at the counter schmearing cream cheese on a bagel. Ryan's head popped up from his bowl of cereal at the mention of his name. Swallowing quickly, he attempted to answer.

"Uh...cough...3:30 I think," he finally managed to get out after Seth had nonchalantly patted him on the back after nearly choking on his Captain Crunch.

"I'll have to get off work a little early, but it's no biggy, I'll definitely be there," stated Sandy.

"If it cuts into your work, you don't have to go," insisted Ryan quickly.

"Not at all," reassured Sandy patting Ryan on the shoulder," I love your games, I wouldn't miss one for the world."

"Same here," cut in Kirsten as she walked into the kitchen. Her hair was pulled back in a stylish ponytail and she wore a comfortable worksuit in anticipation of a another run-in with her father, Caleb Nichol.

"I'll be there too, man. Just you wait, a Cohen wave," started in Seth with a flit of the arms that must have been a wave. When Ryan continued to look at everyone sceptically, the three Cohen's shared looks of amused exasperation. "You'll see, Ryan. A big wave. Not like one you've ever seen before. It will be spectacular."

"Yeah, cause it's going to be _so_ big with the three of you," said Ryan sarcastically. Getting up, he grabbed his bookbag and walked out of the kitchen.

"We'll cause a sensation! It will begin with the three of us, then continue down the bleachers until everyone is participating in a giant wave for Ryan Atwood. You see..." trailed Seth's voice as he followed Ryan out of the kitchen to go to school.

"He is your son," commented Kirsten with amusement. Sandy took on a pained look and placed his left hand over his heart.

"You wound me darling," said Sandy dramatically. Swatting his arm playfully, Kirsten left the room to go to work. With a huge grin on his face, Sandy lifted up his briefcase and followed the path his family had followed before him.

For the rest of the day before the first game of the season, Ryan had to endure Seth's embarassing waves in between classes. Ducking his head quickly so the other students might think this weird and embarassing display was not for him, Ryan would quickly move into the nearest restroom or classroom so no one could see his red tinged cheeks.

And so the day quickly passed and it became hotter and muggier with each passing second until it seemed the game might be cancelled because of the amazing heat. But 3:30pm came without a hitch, so Ryan moved from his last class of the day to the boy's change room to get ready for the first and most important game of the season. They were playing their biggest Rivals, the Pacific Wolves.

Quickly changing into his uniform, Ryan made his way out onto the field. Most of his teammates were already on the field. Some of them were kicking balls at the net while others were stretching in anticiaption of a tough game.

Looking into the stands, Ryan quickly spotted Sandy, Kirsten, and Seth. When Seth saw him looking, he immediately broke into an impromtu wave that caused everyone around him to give him queer looks. Even Kirsten had to look away, slightly embarassed at her son's antics. Sandy, however, seemed to enjoy Seth's behaviour since he quickly joined in much to the chagrin of Kirsten.

Smiling slightly at his new family, Ryan turned and started to perform stretches along with his teammates. The heat was pretty much unbearable, but he, as well as everyone else, had to continue on as though there was nothing wrong.

Within fifteen minutes, everyone was on the field or seated in the appropriate spots. The referee blew the whistle signalling to the players that the game was about to begin. Getting into a tight circle, they received a pep talk from their coach then jogged out to their respective positions.

The ball was dropped and play began fiercely. Moving up and down the field, the ball was passed, spun, kicked, and airborne with people running this way and that in the hopes of getting the black and white ball. Harbour scored twice within the first fifteen minutes of play with Pacific scoring once. The two teams were sweating and panting due to the exertion in the stifling heat.

Ryan had scored the second goal and was quickly gaining ground on the field to score the third. The cheers rose in the stands as he neared the other teams goalpost. He distinctly heard Seth shouting apart from the fray. Breathing heavily with sweat pouring from his hairline into his eyes, Ryan got lost in his goal to kick the ball into the white net only feet in front of him.

Kicking with all his might, he watched the ball soar through the air in a great arc. He saw Pacific's goaltender leaping into the air in the hopes of stopping the sweat blurred ball. And he saw the ball slip through the goalie's fingers and heard it hit the net with a satisfying swoosh. The sounds of the crowd cheering was the next thing to invade Ryan's senses as his teammates ran up and patted him on the back. He had scored. He had placed his team ahead of Pacific by two points.

It was during the free moments only found after a goal that Ryan noticed something else. He couldn't breathe. His chest was expanding greatly in the effort of bringing air into his demanding lungs, but not enough was going in. Grabbing onto his chest, he took great heaving breaths in the hopes of relieving the awful sensation that was not being able to breathe properly. Breathing quickly became his top priority.

He was so focused on tryng to breathe, he didn't notice Thomas asking him if he was alright, or hear the coach blowing his whistle to call for a time out. Suddenly, there were hands on his back, faces surrounding his vision as he fought for the wonderful sensation of air leaving and entering his lungs freely.

His knees hit the green grass in one jarring impact. He was forced to lay on his back on the hot grass even though the position made it even harder to breathe. Seconds seemed as long as minutes. Minutes seemed as long as hours. There was no reprieve from the harsh intakes of what little air he could manage. Then, a familiar voice joined the thousands speaking above him; Kirsten.

"Ryan?" she asked panicking, "Ryan, what's wrong?" Her soothing hand found it's way to his cheek, cooling the heat that was there.

"C...can't breathe," Ryan forced out which only made his problem worse. He felt her hand slide reassuringly into his. Felt a rough hand that could only belong to Sandy fall gently on his shoulder. Seth's voice also became disjointed from the jumble of noises above him, but he could no longer pick out what anyone was saying. He couldn't hear Kirsten's reassurances that the ambulance would be there shortly or Sandy's gentle voice reassuring him that everything was going to be all right. All he could hear was his harsh breathing and his heart thudding loudly in his chest.

After what felt like hours, new hands replaced Sandy and Kirsten's. A light was shone into his eyes. A clear mask was placed over his mouth making his laboured breathing just a little bit easier. Questions were being asked of the people around him, but Ryan couldn't pick out the answers.

Suddenly, he was rolled onto his side and rolled back onto something soft and cool against his skin. His body was lifted up on this cool reprieve from the hot ground and he could feel himself being moved along roughly. Kirsten's soothing hand once again found his as the world became black.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but it must have been a while because he was now in an all white room. The sunlight was filtering in through the white blinds. He was laying on a rather hard mattress with blindingly white sheets covering his lower body. After a few moments of looking around, Ryan finally realized he was in the hospital.

He couldn't remember what had happened. Taking stock of any injury he could find, he was shocked to find none. The only thing that would say anything about why he was here was the little clear tube that was tickling his nose.

Lifting his hand to remove the offending object, Ryan was shocked to feel a hand clasp onto his to prevent him from doing so. Looking over in shock, he was startled to see Kirsten sitting in what looked like a rather uncomfortable chair beside the bed.

"Welcome back," she said to break the intense silence that had overtaken the room.

"Why am I here?" asked Ryan. He was shocked to find his voice was kind of hoarse. What had happened?

"You had a pretty bad asthma attack. Don't you remember?" asked Kirsten now sounding worried. Ryan shook his head in confused silence. "We didn't know you had asthma Ryan, why didn't you tell us?"

"I hadn't had an attack since I was seven, I thought I had grown out of it," answered Ryan as he racked his brain for any reason as to why he would have an attack now. Then he remembered what he was doing before the attack. "Did we win?"

Kirsten smiled slightly. "Yeah, you won. Harbour fought for the game pretty hard after the ambulance had left. They even signed the game ball," she said displaying a ball that seemed to have come out of nowhere. Black signatures adorned all of the white spaces on the ball.

"Where are Sandy and Seth?" asked Ryan after a moment of silence.

"They just left to get some food. You should be discharged shortly, so I think they might be meeting us at home," she answered. "What do you think caused you to have an attack now?" she asked out of curiosity.

"I guess it was the heat and how I ran practically the entire field to get a goal. Although I haven't had an attack like this in a really long time, so I don't really know what caused it. Some mornings I get a kind of whistle in my breathing, but it wasn't anything to be worried about...until now," he responded. Kirsten glanced at him worriedly, but before she could say anything else, the doctor walked into the room.

"It's nice to see you awake. I'm Dr. Johnson, how are you feeling now?" he asked.

"Alright, I guess," answered Ryan after glancing at Kirsten momentarily.

"Good, that's good. You gave this lady quite a scare," said Dr.Johnson motioning toward Kirsten. "We pulled your health records. So, you haven't had an attack of this callibre since you were seven?"

"I haven't had an attack period since I was seven," said Ryan.

"Okay, well, this one as you know, was quite severe. It was caused due to a mixture of heat, exertion, and the amount of pollen in the air today was quite enhanced. We are prescribing an inhaler to be used whenever necessary for the next three weeks, okay? As soon as the paperwork is signed, you may leave. Happy health," finished Dr. Johnson as he left the room as abruptly as he had entered it.

Ryan looked at Kirsten in shock to find here staring at him in much the same manner.

"Well, uh, I'll just go sign those papers while you get changed. You uniform is on that chair over there okay, sweetie? I would have brought your regular clothes, but I didn't have time," said Kirsten as she kissed Ryan on the forehead and left the room to sign whatever paper needed to be signed.

Ryan took a deep breath and was concerned about the prevalent whistle as he climbed out of bed to change. This did not seem good, he thought to himself, not good at all. He didn't want his asthma to return, it only dampened the amount of fun he could have, especially since the soccer season had only just begun.

TBC


	2. Let's Try This Again

Family Drama

Author's Note: Can you tell I had nothing to do? Love the reviews, keep 'em coming!

Disclaimer: Own nothing.

Chapter Two

Within fifteen minutes, Ryan had changed and Kirsten had signed the necessary papers.

"You ready to go?" asked Kirsten when she had entered Ryan's hospital room after signing what must have been a thousand papers. Stretching her right hand, she attempted to get rid of the kinks that had formed. Ryan was sat on his bed in his burgundy and white soccer uniform swinging his legs like a little kid. His gown was folded neatly on top of the made bed in true Ryan fashion.

"Got bored," he explained when he saw Kirsten eyeing his bed. Shrugging his shoulders, he hopped off the bed and led the way out of the little white room.

"We need to stop quickly at the pharmacy to pick up your inhaler, then we will be going straight home," said Kirsten after they had turned onto the main road. Ryan merely nodded his head and leaned against the window with a heavy sigh. "There is still a slight whistle to your breathing," commented Kirsten.

"Yeah, that will be there for another little while. I can't believe this all came back, and at the worst time too," complained Ryan. Looking out the window, he watched the scenery pass by as they made their way into the heart of Newport.

"Is there anything else you need now that we are here?" asked Kirsten. They had just picked up Ryan's prescription and were about to head out when Kirsten had remembered she needed some more aspirin and shampoo.

"No," answered Ryan as he slunked out the door. He still couldn't believe that he had had an asthma attack during the first soccer game of the season. For sure Coach Roberts was going to kick him off the team. Man, he really screwed this up. Opening the door to the Range Rover, he climbed aboard as he waited for Kirsten to finish making her purchases.

A half hour later, Ryan and Kirsten were finally pulling into the driveway.

Turning her head, Kirsten saw that Ryan was fast asleep against the window. Smiling softly at how young he looked, she reached across the short distance and patted him lightly on the shoulder. He awoke with a slight gasp and subtle jolt.

"Sorry," apologized Kirsten, "we're here," she said pointing to the front door. Just as this sentence came out of her mouth, a slightly rumpled Sandy and overly energetic Seth appeared in the doorway. Sandy smiled while Seth bounded excitedly down the steps to the passenger side of the Range Rover. Pulling open the door, he took in a breath of air.

"Man, that was the best goal ever! I told you that wave for going to spark some kind of magic. It sucked that you had to go down after though, you were on a roll. I mean, you had already gotten one goal, and then you flew down the field in one large swoop and scored another one! That was just amazing!" finished Seth excitedly out of breath.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," snarked Ryan. Placing his feet on the ground, he was startled to suddenly be standing face to face with a concerned Sandy.

"Are you alright, though?" asked Sandy. "I wanted to stay with you, but Kirsten suggested me and Seth go get some food. I guess I was pacing or something, but I was just so worried."

"You wonder where I get it from," stated Seth which quickly earned him a slap upside the head from Kirsten. "Hey!" he protested, "I could call the hotline again," which only earned him another slap upside the head but this time from Sandy. Looking at Ryan indignantly, he huffed and turned to go back to the house when he received no support from his best friend and brother.

Over the next few days, Ryan endured little trouble with his renewed asthma except for one day when he and Seth were fooling around by the pool.

Playing around, they had forgotten about the past week of Kirsten hovering constantly checking to make sure Ryan was breathing properly. This increasingly annoying habit soon became justified as Ryan suffered another attack. She immediately picked up on his change in breathing habits and pulled him to the side.

Sitting him down, she told Seth to retrieve the inhaler that was supposed to be in the poolhouse, but was mysteriouly missing. Telling Ryan to take deep breaths, she waited in almost panic while Seth retrieved the inhaler kept in the downstairs bathroom. Ryan had sat with his eyes closed concentrating on nothing else but his breathing just like the doctor had told him to do.

After what seemed like hours, the plastic mouth piece of the inhaler was in his mouth and he was told to breathe in. Sucking in the chemicals, he held his breath as he waited for them to take hold. Opening his eyes after thirty seconds, he was relieved to find he could breathe much easier.

"Thanks," whispered Ryan. Kirsten brushed his hair out of his face, and stood up to put the inhaler in the poolhouse.

"No problem, sweetie," she responded.

Looking to his left, Ryan saw Seth sitting with his shoulders hunched and he was looking at him with soulful puppy dog eyes.

"Sorry man," said Seth.

"Why are you sorry?" asked Ryan apalled that Seth would think this was his fault. "I overdid it Seth, I got lost and forgot about my asthma. If anyone is to blame, it would be me."

"I don't care what you say, I still feel guilty."

"Whatever man, how about some playstation? I'll race you there!" said Ryan as he took off for the house leaving a shocked Seth behind.

"Cool," whispered Seth as he too took off for the living room.

"You have a game today, Ryan?" asked Sandy when he walked into the kitchen to see the young Atwood already sitting at the counter drinking his coffee.

"Yep," answered Ryan without taking his eyes off the Sports section of the newspaper.

"Do you have neough medication?" asked Kirsten as she walked in followed by Seth. Coach Roberts had been a bit hesitant about letting Ryan continue playing, but with a doctor's note and instructions, he immediately wavered and was glad to have his best player still on the team. Whatever reservations that remained were well hidden as the coach pushed Ryan just as hard as the rest of the team.

"Yep," answered Ryan again.

"Has your asthma been acting up the lately?" continued Kirsten while she prepared her morning caffeine fix.

"Not really," responded Ryan automatically. He was used to these questions now sincce they took place before every practice and practically every day before he went to school. He loved that the Cohen's cared so much, but these questions were getting kind of monotone.

"That's good," said Kirsten. Tonight was his first game after his asthma attack, so she was really worried that he would have a repeat episode.

"You guys ready to hit the road?" asked Sandy. He had been taking the boys to school every morning while Kirsten picked them up on her way home. They didn't want Ryan to over-excert himself, so riding his bike back and forth from school was quickly out of the question, no matter how much he protested.

"Yeah," responded Ryan lifting his bag from its position beside his chair.

"I suppose," sulked Seth. He had tried desperately hard to get out of school today because he had a major history test that he had not even attempted to study.

Kissing Kirsten on the cheek, Sandy followed the boys' path out to the BMW to start another day.

6:00pm quickly rolled around and everyone were in the same position they were in only last week when the first game of the season took place. The two teams were either stretching or kicking balls at the goal keeper while those in the stands were either conversing with their neighbours or watching the players on the field.

Kirsten glanced around at all of the Harbour players and finally located him amongst the people stretching.

When the whistle was blown, all the players got into a circle with their respective teammates and received a little pep talk. After the talk was over, everyone dispersed to their seperate positions.

Ryan however, stayed behind with the coach and took a puff of his inhaler to ensure his airways stayed clear. He then ran out onto the field mindful of everyone staring at him.

And with another whistle, they were off. The ball was passed in new game plans. The players strategically placed themselves over the field to gain more ground with the ball in the hopes of gaining some goals and eventually winning the game.

Ryan was running around the field noticeably taking it easy. That is until the ball came into his position. Taking off down the field, he piveted and turned away from the other teams' players until he was in front of the goal. Taking his foot back, he let her rip and watched the ball as it sailed gloriously through the air. With a satisfying swoosh and an easy breath, Ryan took all of the congradulations for his fantastic goal in stride.

Looking up into the stands, Ryan was pleased to see everyone in the stands participating in a giant wave. Amongst them were Sandy, Kirsten, and Seth yelling excitingly. Maybe his asthma didn't ruin his soccer season. Maybe everything was going to be alright.


	3. Insecurities

Family Drama

Author's Note: Thought that was the last chapter didn't ya? Well, here's another one. Really enjoyed the many reviews.

Disclaimer: Still own nothing.

Chapter Three

A few weeks after his asthma made a stunning return, Ryan was finally getting back to normal and the Cohen's were trying desperately to stop hovering.

Some mornings, Ryan would awaken with a slight whistle to his breathing which would of course send Kirsten into a tailspin of distress. It was those days she forgot that she had promised not to hover so much and would spend most of the day within seeing distance of Ryan. But, a solid glare from the 'whistler,' as Seth likes to call him, would normally bring her closer to the ground.

Ryan still struggled a bit after soccer practice, or if he got too excited doing something active, but he was quickly gaining ground and was much less hard on himself whenever an attack did occur. Thinking back a bit, Ryan remembered the day the Cohen's found out about his insecurity in relation to his asthma.

It was a normal enough day, just like most days before something tragic happens, and Ryan was actually in a good mood about everything. It was the weekend; which is always a plus. His soccer team had only lost one game so far. He had received an A on his history paper. Generally, the drama was standing at minimum capacity and life was good.

Leaving the poolhouse, he discovered Sandy cooking at the grill and Kirsten lounging on the patio with a bottle of water on her lap. By the pout on her face, he'd say she was kicked out of the general ficinity of the grill due to her less than stellar cooking skills. Nodding a good morning to the two older Cohen's, he moved on into the main house to see if Seth was up. If he was, he was going to propose going to the pier just for something to do.

Walking through the patio doors, Ryan could almost immediately see that Seth was not playing his PS2. Continuing on through the house, he made his way upstairs to Seth's bedroom. Knocking before he entered, Ryan peered his head in the doorway to see Seth standing in front of his mirror.

"Hey man, what's up?" asked Seth after he had flicked his body in the direction of the door to see who had entered.

"Nothin', just wanted to see what you were up to," answered Ryan. Walking further in the room, his nose was suddenly assaulted by a strong scent. "Whoa, what is that!"

"That, my dear friend, is my new cologne. Do you like?" said Seth as he patted at his famous jew-fro in an attempt to tame it. Looking over, he saw Ryan with an all too familiar look on his face. "Dude, tell me you're not having another attack," stated Seth with a look of panic welling up from deep inside him.

Shaking his head, Ryan tried to take big calming breaths that he has so often been instructed to take. Squeezing his eyes shut, he began to berate himself for being so stupid. And that was how Sandy and Kirsten found him. Shaking his head with his eyes squeezed shut, Ryan was repeating one word, 'stupid, stupid, stupid.'

Kirsten sprang into action. She began rubbing his back and saying soothing words in an attempt to calm him down. Sandy had left the room the moment he saw Ryan in the state he was in.

Rushing back with the inhaler, he shoved it into Kirsten's hands, who subsequently shoved it into Ryans mouth with the instruction to breathe in. But Ryan refused to take the medication. He just continued to shake his head in disappointment for himself and continued to berate himself for being stupid and weak.

"Ryan, Ryan," said Kirsten in the hopes of gaining his attention. With no success, she looked to Sandy in despair as the sounds of laboured breathing quickly began to escalate. Sandy stepped forward.

"Ryan, come on kid, you have to take your medication so you can get better," tried Sandy. But Ryan merely shook his head and continued the way he was going.

"Step aside, let a pro deal with this," said Seth as he shoved his way between panicky parents. Putting some distance between him, Ryan, and his parents, Seth began to whisper into Ryan's ear. After mere seconds, Ryan stopped shaking his head and speaking to himself. Holding his hand out, Kirsten placed the inhaler on Seth's plam in amazement. After a whispered, Breathe in, Ryan's attack began to lessen. After another quick inhale, his breathing was almost back to normal.

Ten minutes later, Ryan was leaning back on the couch with the three Cohen's sitting worriedly around him.

"I didn't realize what I was doing," said Ryan when he was questioned as to why he was calling himself stupid and weak repeatedly.

"But why would you say stuff like that?" asked Sandy, "you know you're not stupid and you're definitely not weak."

"I just hate this whole asthma business. I can't do anything the same anymore. I have to take all of these stupid precautions and it is just embarassing whenever I have an attack during school," said Ryan looking down at his worn and callused hands.

"We understand that, but there is nothing you can do to change that. This is apart of your life now no matter how much you want it to go away. You can still do anything you want to, you just have to take it easy," spoke up Kirsten from her position beside Sandy on the loveseat.

"I know," said Ryan sulkily.

"You really worried us back there, kid," said Sandy leaning forward so as to gain some eye contact from his young charge.

"I'm sorry," replied Ryan looking up and away hastily.

"What do you think caused you to have another attack?" asked Kirsten.

"I was fine until I walked into Seth's room," responded Ryan, "I guess maybe it was his cologne because it was very strong. I remember my mom's perfume would set me off when I was little because she always wore too much."

With this new bit of information, both Sandy and Kirsten turned and gave Seth a look that only parents seem to have. Cowering into the corner of the couch, Seth shook his head in denial and guilt.

"No, dude," said Seth.

"I guess from now on we have to be careful about what we wear," said Kirsten looking around at each of the individuals in the room.

"I think Seth's cologne only set me off cause it seemed like he just sprayed it, so the smell was still very strong in the room. You guys can still wear your perfume and everything, you just have to steer clear of me right after you put it on."

"Yeah, I guess we can do that," said Seth form his corner of the couch where he still looked extremely guilty. "I'm sorry dude, if I had've known, I wouldn't have bought it in the first place."

"No problem, It's not like you would've known," soothed Ryan. Watching this exchange between their two boys, Sandy and Kirsten were once again awed by the relationship that had developed between them despite their large differences in personality and upbringing.

"Now that our quota for drama has been fulfilled for the day, how about we settle down and watch a movie?" asked Sandy hopefully.

"Sorry dad, I'm already late for a meeting with Summer," apologized Seth.

"Yeah, sorry Sandy, but I have this paper that is due tomorrow," said Ryan. Getting up, they both went in different directions to lead their lives as if there wasn't something different and challenging to deal with now.

"How about you?" asked Sandy nuzzling his nose in Kirsten's neck, " would mind spending some time with the old man?"

"Oh I'm sure I can find some time in my schedule," replied Kirsten silkily. Laughing, she got up from the couch and walked sexily to the stairs where she beckoned for Sandy to follow. Grinning mischieviously, he got up from the loveseat and followed his lovely wife upstairs to the bedroom.

AN: Hey, maybe in the next chapter Ryan will experience an attack during school. Who knows!


	4. At School

Family Drama

Author's Note: Man, those reviews you guys sent were amazing! I could not believe the feedback I was receiving from everyone. Well, I hope you enjoy this next chapter that you are about to read. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that has to do with The OC.

Chapter Four

The Cohen's and singular Atwood, had just marched through the first holiday of the year and were preparing to head back to school and work. Ryan was just finishing packing his school bag with the homework he had completed over the break while Seth was still stubbornly in bed despite Sandy and Kirsten's protests and prodding in an attempt to wake him up.

Five minutes later, Sandy walked into the kitchen with his shoulders slumped in defeat. Looking up, he saw that the coffee had already been made. Ryan was sat at his usual place by the counter with a bowl of Cap'n Crunch in front of him and the Sports section of the newspaper shielding his face from view.

"Thank God you're not like Seth," moaned Sandy as he retrieved a mug from the cupboard and proceeded to pour the black liquid into it. Ryan looked over the top of the paper at Sandy in confusion. Just then, you could hear Kirsten yelling at Seth to get up or he'd never see the inside of a comic again. Realization dawning on his face, Ryan poked his head behind the paper once more with a smirk.

"He is your son!" said Kirsten forcefully while stomping angrily into the kitchen. Her high heels clicked and clacked as she made her way over to the family's only salvation; coffee.

"How come he is my son only when he is being difficult?" asked Sandy in protest. "Don't answer that," he surrendered upon receiving a look from Kirsten that could rival one of Ryan's glares.

Ten minutes later, Seth slumped into the kitchen with his eyes barely open. Moving immediately to the coffee machine, he filled his mug and took a generous swallow.

"Good morning to you all," said Seth after he had taken another generous gulp of caffeine. Upon receiving a glare from Kirsten, he looked to Ryan in confusion, who merely shrugged his shoulders.

"I have to get to work," stated Kirsten. Walking out of the kitchen in much the manner she had entered it, she left the three men of the house looking bewildered at her mood.

"What climbed up her butt and died?" asked Seth to the dead silent room.

"No idea," said Sandy leaving the room with a quick farewell. Seth turned and looked at Ryan who shook his head with his lower lip jutted out.

"Whatever it is, I don't like it," offered Ryan. "Come on, we have to get to school."

Due to his resurfaced asthma, strong scents such as perfume were banned from any school function and during normal school hours much to the chagrin of most of the girls in the school.

That new rule was constantly broken despite Dr. Kim and all of the teachers cracking down on the repeat offenders. If a teacher could so much as smell the faint whiff of perfume or cologne, that person was thereby either sentenced to detention or suspension if they continued to be stubborn.

Ryan walked through the double doors that led into the school with the glares of many following his progress. He understood why they were upset, but he couldn't see why they could be so careless when it came to someones' health. I guess that's Newport for ya, he thought to himself as he made his way to his locker.

By lunch time, Ryan was sick of all of the angry stares. He had been dealing with them for a month now, and it was really getting old. Sitting down next to Seth, he placed his tray of food in front of him and began to pick at the fries.

"What's wrong, man?" asked Seth from around his mouthful of tuna melt.

"I'm sick of everyone blaming me for the bann on perfume and cologne. It's not my fault my asthma decided to resurface," answered Ryan sullenly. Picking up a fry, he smeared it in ketchup and shoved it into his mouth angrily.

"Well, it's not easy for these pod people to give up their natural scent like that," continued Seth with a snap of his fingers to prove his point. Ryan snorted in response and continued to eat his meal.

After lunch, Ryan went on to his afternoon history class. Walking into the class, he took his seat at the back of the class and proceeded to take out his notebook and a pen.

Sitting upright, his nose immediately prickled. Attempting to breathe in the scent without his asthma kicking in, Ryan tried to see what it was and where it was coming from. It was definitely perfume, but where was it coming from? Looking toward the front of the class, it all became clear.

The person who was battling the bann more openly and harder than any other student was Heather Knowles. She had been in detention for what seemed the entire month and suspension was a very real possibilty for her in the near future despite who her parents were.

Getting out of his seat, Ryan approached the teachers desk.

"Sir, I think I need to leave the classroom," said Ryan once he was standing in front of Mr. Schmidt.

"Why?" asked Mr. Schmidt.

"Somebody is wearing perfume," said Ryan, " and I don't want to risk having an attack."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be alright," said Mr Schmidt waving Ryan back to his seat. Without arguing, Ryan turned and walked back to his desk.

He couldn't have chosen a worse route though, seeing as he walked right by Heather's desk. Continuing on, he felt his throat begin to tighten. Practically running back to his desk, Ryan grabbed his inhaler from the front pocket of his bag and began to move back toward the front of the room. Walking right past Mr. Schmidt, Ryan walked out into the hall.

"Where do you think you are going!" thundered Mr. Schmidt. He had followed Ryan outside leaving strick instructions to the rest of the students to read pages 145- 160 in the text. Upon seeing Ryan leaning against the wall however, with his eyes tightly closed, his anger quickly left him. "Oh no."

Ryan didn't hear Mr. Schmidt talking to him, and he didn't hear the other students leaning outside their classroom doors in the hopes of seeing what the commotion was all about. All he knew was that he needed to somehow bring his inhaler to his mouth before he passed out.

Wheezing greatly, his hand slowly moved upwards. Feeling the plastic mouth piece on his lips, he laboured to breathe in the medication. Wheezing some more, he gave another great puff of the medication into his mouth.

Suddenly, he could hear all of the whispers. Could see all of the faces peering at him. Feeling embarassed over this weakness, Ryan turned around so all he could see was the brick wall that made the school's halls. Taking great shuddering breaths, he attempted to control his breathing.

"I'm sorry Ryan, I didn't know it was this serious," came Mr. Schmidt's voice from within the foggy fray.

"Next time will you believe me?" rasped Ryan raggedly.

"Yo Ryan, what happened?" Suddenly Seth was right there beside him, supporting him against the wall.

"Attack," responded Ryan shortly.

"At school? That's rough man," said Seth.

"Tell me about it," said Ryan. Taking a deep breath, he turned around. There was a semi-circle of people surrounding him; their faces gawking at his situation. Feeling his face burning with further embarassment, Ryan pushed through the whispering crowd to the nearest bathroom.

Thankfully, no one was in any of the stalls, so he had plenty of privacy to get his act together. Splashing water on his face, Ryan leaned on the sink and stared at his dripping reflection in the mirror.

"Why do you have to be so weak?" he whispered to himself. Berating himself for not being able to control this asthma, his breaths began to get shorter once again. "Oh no, not again," he moaned Sliding down the wall, he leaned against the cool brick and began to take as deep a breath as he could to try to prevent another attack. Within five minutes, his breathing was back to normal without the aid of the dreaded inhaler; the symbol of his weakness.

Wow, maybe I can get over this, he thought to himself. Pushing himself up, he silently thanked Seth for knowing he needed time to himself and whatever teachers kept the students out of his face.

Walking out into the hallway, he was pleased to see that nobody was around until he saw Kirsten round the farthest corner with Seth silently in tow. Stopping in his tracks, he was horrified to see Dr. Kim following behind Seth. Kirsten nearly ran down the rest of the hall when she saw him standing there.

"What are you doing here?" asked Ryan in confusion when Kirsten was standing right in front of him.

"Dr. Kim called me when you had your attack. Are you alright?" asked Kirsten holding him at arms length to inspect him for herself.

"I'm fine," responded Ryan embarassed her fussing.

"I tried to tell her that, but she wouldn't listen to me," cut in Seth.

"I had to see for myself," said Kirsten defending herself. "By the way, shouldn't you be in class?" Giving Kirsten his attempt at a glare, Seth continued on down the stone hallway.

"Really, you didn't have to come down here," said Ryan.

"Oh nonsense," fussed Kirsten. "So you're really alright? I can leave now?"

"Yes."

"By the way Dr. Kim, I understand this Heather Knowles has made no attempt to follow these new banns on perfume and cologne and that Mr. Schmidt didn't believe Ryan when he warned him, let's discuss this while I'm here," said Kirsten as her and Dr. Kim walked down the way they had come. Shaking his head in embarassment, Ryan made his way back to Mr. Schmidt's classroom.

Walking in, he attempted to avoid the curious and Godly looks most of the students were giving him. Taking his seat, he slid down until he could just barely see the chalkboard.

"Sit up straight please Mr. Atwood," said Mr. Schmidt before he continued teaching. Sitting up straight, Ryan felt his ears burning. Why did this have to happen here of all places, asked Ryan to himself. God, I hate asthma.


End file.
